REALISTIC opinion/questions on the BOB or GHB phenomenon...

This is a discussion on REALISTIC opinion/questions on the BOB or GHB phenomenon... within the Related Gear & Equipment forums, part of the Defensive Carry Discussions category; Ladies and Gents,
I have recently started looking into the Bug Out Bag/Get Home Bag prepping phenomenon and I guess I didn't really expect there ...

REALISTIC opinion/questions on the BOB or GHB phenomenon...

Ladies and Gents,

I have recently started looking into the Bug Out Bag/Get Home Bag prepping phenomenon and I guess I didn't really expect there to be as many opinions and recommendations as I have run into. I decided to start with a "staged" system. 1 bag of goodies for the house (small, stay in your home emergencies), 1 larger bag for each family member for the "you have 1 hour to be out of the area" type evacuation scenario, and a goes everywhere with me "get home/stranded" bag. And here are my thoughts, and I would like opinions on my ideas as maybe I need to adjust them...

1. I am not an avid outdoorsman who goes on extended stay camping/hiking trips through the mountains for days at a time, so REALISTICALLY (theme here) I won't find myself suddenly in the wilderness of Wyoming waiting for the nuclear fall out to clear. So packing a supreme bag for this situation seems like a waste of resources.

2. I live in a LARGE metro area and rarely (once or twice a year) take road trips outside of the civilized world, and when i do, it is usually headed to another well-populated area....

3. While I do believe that large scale disasters can and probably will happen at some point, I am of the opinion that the chances of one completely disabling the entire lower 48 is just not REALISTICALLY plausible. I am betting I can find somewhere to go in another area and while maybe inconveniencing a friend or family member, won't be having to rough it next to a rural creek bed.

So with that in mind, my BOB/GHB bag that is the REALISTIC grab and go has just a few items in it, in redundancy of course: Firearm(s), ammo, flashlights, radio(broadcast and two-way), blankets, clothing, water, blades, and minor first aid. But the most valuable content is an unused credit card and a decent supply of cash. In every REALISTIC scenario I can play out, seems to me any goods I might need spur of the moment could be attained with cash. Even in the scenario of a Katrina like storm or God forbid a nuclear attack, I highly doubt that the offending force would hit every city with a population exceeding 10,000 people? So with cash, a decent vehicle with gas, and the basic security measures.....am I wrong in my REALISTIC assumptions.

I mean lets be honest...if SHTF and my family is relegated to the National Forests for weeks upon end....we are screwed anyway, regardless of what we "prepped for". Right? Most of us would be better off staying put and dealing with Martial Law.

Am I under-thinking this ideal or do all of these "the world can start over with me" people the more logical ones?

Well, your post is timely considering the "superstorm Sandy" that just hit the northeast. Look at how they are doing in Staten Island, Lower Manhattan, and New Jersey.

If I were living in those areas, I would have wanted to get out and away from there before the storm hit. While I'm a big proponent in staying put and hunkering down in your own well supplied and stocked home, there are times when it's best to get out of the entire area. Even if it means driving to another state. Even those in the storm area who have generators for their back-up power, it seems they did not store enough fuel/gasoline to keep those generators running more than a day or two. Now they are being forced to take serious risk while venturing out in search of buying gas for their generators. Waiting hours on end in line for a few gallons of gas, and risk being exposed to deadly encounters with other people standing in line for the same gas. Fights have broken out in gas lines to the point where they now have to stage police at the gas stations.

Food is another issue. Scores of people are "dumpster diving" in the dumpsters outside of restaurants and grocery stores who are dumping their rotten/spoiled food. It's not a far stretch to see people getting stabbed or shot over a bag full of spoiled food.

So, even if you decide to shelter in place and wait it out, there are risks associated with that activity as well.

I grew up an urbanite in Kansas City for 30 years. I got out of the city and have been living in a very rural community for the last 20 years, so my plans are to "shelter in place." There will be some hardships if I have to survive a major event here, but it will be significantly different type of hardships then those faced by urban dwellers. I just don't see the potential for violent encounters here in a rural are as those faced by city dwellers who must venture out to replenish their supplies.

Even though I plan to stay put in my fortified and well stocked rural home, the nature of the disaster may force me to evacuate. In that case, I expect to be traveling at least a state or two away from my home base. Since my wife is physically disabled from an injury and can't walk very far, let alone carry a large pack, our Bug Out plans will definitely be geared around traveling by vehicle. I have a 4X4 Toyota 4Runner which is a very capable and reliable off-road vehicle. So while I have several Bug Out bags, in the form of backpacks, they are stocked with supplies geared towards using a vehicle has primary means of conveyance.

I have a small 2K watt Honda generator for portable power. I store three 5 gallon military (Scepter) jerry cans of gas with fuel stabilizer to power the generator, or refuel the truck. I plan to add at least one more 5 gallon can of fuel to my kit. I can store the fuel cans on the roof of the SUV when on the road. I have several different types of cook stoves which burns either natural fuels (wood/charcoal) or butane. I store 90 gallons of water at home with water stabilizer, but those barrels are too large and heavy to move if I am bugging out so for that, I have two 5 gallon military water cans and two 2.5 gallon military water cans for bugging out. I also have multiple water purifiers capable of purifying over a million gallons of drinking water.

As a paramedic I have plenty of quality medical supplies, first aid kits and hygiene supplies to keep healthy and prevent illnesses to the extent possible.

I also have a small electric chainsaw and small gas chainsaw as well as a shovel, Hi-Lift Jack and other tools for clearing road obstacles and building emergency shelters if needed.

Clothing, sleeping bags and small tent are stored in a plastic tote. My home food storage can be broken down and go mobile as needed. Right now we have about a 2 month supply for my wife and I at home. Probably won't get all that into the truck, but we will have enough for at least 2-3 weeks on the road. I also keep two 40lb bags of dog food on hand for the coon hound and basset hound which will be going with us.

Now that I just got my ham radio license, I will be adding a decent mobile/portable ham radio kit as part of my go kit.

Eventually, I would like to get or build a small off road capable utility trailer to pull behind the truck in order to expand my capabilities.

The key is to decide when it's time to get out of your current location and do so early enough so that you are not part of the fleeing masses making a mass exodus. As I said, I plan on staying put if at all possible. I'm in a rural area, with strong community support. My home is fortified against intrusion and I am much better stocked with essential supplies for hunkering down and staying put. However, should I be forced to move because of the nature of the incident, I intend to travel at least one or two states away and am set up to stay at a motel, or camp out depending on circumstances. Most states have year round camp grounds which allows for at least primitive camping, even in winter. I have a decent atlas and complement of state and local maps for my home state and most of the surrounding states to locate areas to stay if I fail to make it to my planned destination.

All of this is for a planned evacuation. And I can get all this together and loaded with probably 30 minutes notice due to how I keep things packed and stored at home.

I have both GHBs and BOBs. I live where wild fire is my most likely threat. My BOB in in the form of two boxes that can be loaded into the back of a truck easily. They contain food and camping gear to last a couple of days. I also added food for our pets. On top of our BOB boxes are pet carriers, So that they can go with us. DR